1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to furnaces and, more particularly, to an improved apparatus for attachment of the manifold assembly to the gas control assembly of a furnace.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Typically in a gas fired furnace, fuel enters the system through a pipe and then passes through a manifold assembly that includes the manifold, gas valve and orifices which together function to regulate and direct the flow of gas to the burners where the gas is ignited. The manifold assembly is located inside the burner box compartment which is part of the gas control assembly. The manifold assembly attaches to the burner box for stability and to prevent undue stress on the manifold assembly components.
In the prior art, the manifold assembly was attached to the burner box compartment of the gas control assembly via a rather complex construct. This construct required the use of a non-standard shaped bracket and six screws, at least some of which were not easily accessible from the front of the burner box compartment.
However, this complex attachment construct resulted in considerable time being needed for the removal of the manifold assembly, or its installation inside the burner box compartment. One or both of these operations are required when the furnace is assembled, if the manifold needs servicing or replacement and, in about ten percent (10%) of furnace installations, when the furnace must be converted in the field from using natural gas as a source of fuel, to using propane as a source of fuel.
In the prior art furnaces the operation of replacement of the manifold assembly took at least fifteen (15) minutes. The process was difficult, in addition to being time consuming, as relatively inaccessible areas inside the burner box compartment had to be reached in order to release some of the six (6) screws that attached the manifold assembly to the burner box compartment. It was desired to provide an attachment scheme that allows orifice replacement in under five (5) minutes, needs few fasteners such as screws, and requires no special tools to execute.